It looks like you've got plenty of advice already (haven't actually bothered to read all 7 pages) but as someone who has been 3 times and knows the Kansai region and Tokyo fairly well I feel qualified to chime in

When you go is important - will this be a summer or autumn trip? If you're going in summer it'll be real hot, but that means you can enjoy the summer festivals, seasonal dishes (crushed ice if nothing else) and the deafening sound of the cicadas. The best festivals around Kyoto to look out for are Gion Matsuri and the Daimonji festival, where giant kanji are set alight in the hills surrounding the city. Plan your trip accordingly.

If you're planning an Autumn trip then November is a great time to go. Kyoto looks beautiful in the Autumn and it's a whole lot more pleasant to walk around than during the heat of say, July

You've probably figured out that I like Kyoto (the whole Kansai region really) an awful lot - so much so that I actually don't think it's unreasonable to tell first time travellers not to bother with Tokyo at all. If you want a sprawling metropolis Tokyo is pretty much unbeatable in the world (impossibly clean, totally safe, full of interesting things to do) but anecdotally I've found many friends (even my own sister who's a London girl) find it a bit overwhelming. By contrast, I've yet to meet anyone that hasn't loved Kyoto. Plus, if you want more of a hustle and bustle, then Osaka and Kobe are only short train trips from Kyoto

If however you're planning on doing both Kyoto and Tokyo then get yourself a JR Pass and abuse the hell out of it. Bullet train yourself from Tokyo to Kyoto to Nagoya to Osaka to wherever your heart desires - if you're spending a few hundred on a train ticket you should get your money's worth

Other trips outside Tokyo/Kyoto:- Nikko and Kamakura; not essential if you're doing Kyoto and Nara, but pleasant places. Both short trips from Tokyo.- Hakone; probably one of the better places for onsen in the country, and it's en route from Tokyo to Kyoto. Onsen is a must-do if you're travelling in the cooler months.- Nara; unmissable. Short trip from Kyoto. Say hello to the giant bronze Buddha and the thousands of friendly shika dear. Just don't leave any food in your back pockets. - Kobe; imagine Japanese San Francisco. Good beef too

If you're staying in Tokyo for a while I cannot recommend this place enough. Very well priced and well located in Ikebukuro which is only a short ride from Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku and so on.

When in Kyoto, if you go drinking, you must go to this bar. Probably the coolest bar I've ever visited, run by a French magician. If you only go to one bar in Tokyo, I nominate the New York Bar, famous for being used on the set of Lost In Translation. Spectular view of Tokyo at night and live music. Expensive mind you, so get in before the cover charge (7:30pm iirc)

I could go on and on forever with things to do so I'll finish here for now, especially since it's possible others have said plenty already

Thanks Bleachy - so many differing opinions, but most of you say that its not a good idea to stay in Tokyo. As my wife is a teacher, we are now looking at between 22/07/18 and 16/08/18 and likely to do a cheap week away in April instead. I know its going to be really hot during July and am a little worried about that, but really need to see Japan as I've wanted to go for years. Recently we've always tended to go for the safer options - good locations in decent hotels and then do a few excursions from there. I am not sure that the same trick will work for Tokyo as it seems there's not too much to see in 2 weeks.

gamerforever wrote:Any suggestions on how i should do this to see the important locations and for less than £6k overall for 2 people?

I'd book your flights as early as possible. Also, unless you see a really good deal, don't fly direct. I've flown with Alitalia and KLM, each time I've saved between £300 and £450 pounds compared to flying direct. It only adds about an hour and a half to the flight time.

I tend to save money on hotels by staying in budget/business hotels. Generally they aren't fancy but I tend to view them as a place where I'm sleeping, I'm not particularly fussed about paying loads for that. Your mileage may vary on that though and I certainly wouldn't begrudge someone paying more for a nice hotel. Also, I've been pleasantly surprise by some of my budget rooms, I had a hotel in Tottori and the room and bed were both huge! You could also go the hostel route but I generally to avoid them. My hotel costs for three weeks is around the £1500ish mark (I can't remember off hand, it may be less but it certainly isn't more)

It goes without saying to get the JR Pass. If you aren't travelling very far you can get regional JR passes that are cheaper.

Another way to save a little money is taking overnight long distance buses. I've never done this myself but someone I know has done this on her trips.

Food can be as cheap or expensive as you like. I've splurged on food food in the past but my last few trip the bulk of my meals were either street food or from convenience stores. Convenience store meals are surprisingly nice and well, convenient! Whether you'd want to go this route on your first trip would obviously be up to you.

I would also suggest booking Kyoto as early as possible. It tends to get booked up pretty quickly, at least in my experience

Looking at flights. It seems that its better to land at Haneda airport but it seems to be more expensive and with a longer flight. I think it will be easier to fly to Narita airport and get a train to Tokyo.

Denster wrote:Looking at flights. It seems that its better to land at Haneda airport but it seems to be more expensive and with a longer flight. I think it will be easier to fly to Narita airport and get a train to Tokyo.

Thoughts or advice?

I've always flown into Narita, partly out of habit, partly because I always stay in Ueno which is the last stop on the Skyliner train from Tokyo. While I can't compare I find Narita a doddle to get round. The main issue with it is the distance from Tokyo but after a long flight I always find the train journey into Tokyo relaxing and is my "Yay! I've arrived!" moment.

Denster wrote:Looking at flights. It seems that its better to land at Haneda airport but it seems to be more expensive and with a longer flight. I think it will be easier to fly to Narita airport and get a train to Tokyo.

Thoughts or advice?

Have you ever thought of open-jaw flights? For example, landing at Osaka and leaving from Tokyo? It would mean you don't need to travel back to the same point if you're doing a long trip - your itinerary can start at one end of the country and end at another on a linear line, with no repeat destinations or places.

If you're getting the JR pass too, it doesn't matter where you land. Have you looked at flights arriving into Kansai International or Centrair in Nagoya?

I fly into Nagoya when I come back (as I live close by) and it's usually about £530 from London with Cathay Pacific and a short layover in Hong Kong. CP recently added a route from Manchester too, which is near you.